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Compensation of 270 million yuan! Starbucks has been charged with violating labor laws more than 500,000 times!

Published: 2026-08-05 Author:

Last Updated: 2026/08/05, ▲ Click to pay attention| Daily Boutique Coffee Culture Magazine Coffee Factory Recently, CBS New York, BBC and other media reported that the New York City Department of Consumer and Labor Protection (DCWP) has launched an investigation into Starbucks since 2022 and found that Starbucks has violated the Fair Work Week Act (F

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Recently, CBS New York, the BBC and other media reported that the New York City Department of Consumer and Labor Protection (DCWP) has launched an investigation into Starbucks since 2022 and found that Starbucks has violated the Fair Workweek Law many times. behavior.

According to reports, DCWP said that due to dozens of complaints from Starbucks employees, they launched an investigation into more than 300 Starbucks stores in New York City in 2022 and found that Starbucks has not provided stable schedules to store employees since 2021 and has reduced employee working hours by 15% or more, making it difficult for them to make ends meet. Also, companies often refuse employees to work overtime, forcing them to become part-time employees.

The "Fair Working Week Law" stipulates that fast food companies are not allowed to arbitrarily change employees 'fixed schedules and require employees to have the right to refuse extra working hours. In addition, the law requires companies to give priority to providing new shifts to existing employees before hiring new employees.

So after years of investigation, DWCP claimed that Starbucks violated the Fair Work Week Act more than 500,000 times. Its director said,"The Fair Working Week Act provides important protections for workers, such as ensuring predictable scheduling, allowing them to plan their lives and earn a stable income. But Starbucks chose to ignore these rights and put its own profits first."

In response to the accusation, Starbucks, which agreed to reach a settlement, will pay US$35.5 million (equivalent to RMB 251 million) in compensation to more than 15000 employees who worked in hundreds of stores in New York City from July 2021 to July 2024.

In other words, according to the settlement agreement, from July 4, 2021 to July 7, 2024, all Starbucks employees in New York City will receive US$50/week in compensation. For example, employees who have worked for one and a half years will receive US$3900 (equivalent to RMB 27,500). If employees believe that scheduling violations are still encountered after July 7, 2024, they can submit a complaint to DCWP to apply for additional compensation.

In addition, the settlement agreement also requires Starbucks to pay US$3.4 million (equivalent to RMB 24 million) in civil fines and litigation costs. In other words, Starbucks will have to pay a total of US$38.9 million (equivalent to RMB 275 million) during the settlement process.

Local officials said it was the largest and largest labor rights settlement in New York City history, calling it a "landmark" settlement agreement."No matter how big your business is or how much the company makes, If you violate the rights of our workers, you will pay the price."

In response to the incident, Starbucks issued a statement on its website on Monday saying the settlement was "to ensure compliance rather than to recover unpaid wages." The company said it was committed to complying with the Fair Work Week Act, but added that meeting these regulatory requirements was not easy. Starbucks said almost any adjustment to the schedule could be seen as a potential problem, including temporary changes caused by employees taking temporary leave.

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